Moisture resistant pressure sensors

Abstract

A differential pressure sensor has a semiconductor wafer having a top and bottom surface. The top surface of the wafer has a central active area containing piezoresistive elements. These elements are passivated and covered with a layer of silicon dioxide. Each element has a contact terminal associated therewith. The semiconductor wafer has an outer peripheral silicon frame surrounding the active area. The semiconductor wafer is bonded to a glass cover member via an anodic or electrostatic bond by bonding the outer peripheral frame to the periphery of the glass wafer. An inner silicon dioxide frame forms a compression bond with the glass wafer when the glass wafer is bonded to the silicon frame. This compression bond prevents deleterious fluids from entering the active area or destroying the silicon. The above described apparatus is mounted on a header such that through holes in the glass wafer are aligned with the header terminals. The header has pins which are directed from the header terminals to enable contact to be made to the unit. Both the top and bottom surfaces of the semiconductor wafer are coated with silicon dioxide which acts to protect all the elements from deleterious substances. Thus a first pressure is applied to one surface and a second pressure is applied to the other surface to enable differential operation.

1. A pressure sensor apparatus, comprising:
 a semiconductor wafer having a top surface and a bottom surface, said top surface having a central area containing a plurality of semiconductive piezoresistive elements, a plurality of contact terminals, each of said contact terminals associated with and connected to a semiconductive element, a solid insulating layer covering said central areas and said semiconductive element, a solid insulating layer covering said central area and said semiconductive elements, a peripheral semiconductor frame surrounding said central area, and an insulating inner frame layer also surrounding said central area and at least one insulated strip connecting each frame element in said peripheral semiconductor frame with a corresponding frame element of said insulating inner frame layer; and 
 a glass cover membrane having a central aperture for communicating with said central area, said glass cover member electrostatically bonded to said wafer at said peripheral semiconductor frame, with said inner frame forming a compression bond with said glass wafer, said glass wafer having contact through boles each associated and communicating with an associated contact terminal when said cover member is bonded to said wafer. 
 
   
   
     2. The pressure sensor apparatus according to  claim 1 , further including a layer of insulating material covering said bottom surface of said wafer. 
   
   
     3. The pressure sensor apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said semiconductor wafer is silicon and said insulating layer is silicon dioxide. 
   
   
     4. The pressure sensor apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said contact terminals are metal contact terminal. 
   
   
     5. The pressure sensor apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of semiconductive elements are piezoresistive elements. 
   
   
     6. The pressure sensor apparatus according to  claim 1 , further including a reference tube coupled about said central aperture of said glass cover member to receive a first pressure at said top surface, wherein when a second pressure is applied to said bottom surface said semiconductive elements deflect to provide a signal output indicative of the difference between said first and second pressures, whereby the pressure sensor apparatus acts as a differential pressure sensor apparatus. 
   
   
     7. The pressure sensor apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a header coupled to said glass wafer and surrounding said central aperture said header having an aperture communicating with said central aperture and having a plurality of pins extending therefrom and extending into an associated contact through hole to enable contact with said contact terminals of said semiconductor wafer. 
 
   
   
     8. The pressure sensor apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said semiconductor wafer is generally rectangular. 
   
   
     9. The pressure sensor apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said glass cover member is rectangular and relatively congruent with said semiconductor wafer. 
   
   
     10. The pressure sensor apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein both said semiconductor peripheral frame and said inner frame are rectangular and coaxial. 
   
   
     11. The pressure sensor apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said glass cover member is fabricated from borosilicate glass.